Alibaba Motel fined for 54 building code violations

SCOTT SMELTZER / Daily Pilot

Keith Clark, left, the director of the Community Improvement Division, with Fred Seguin, center, the deputy chief with the Costa Mesa Fire Department, and code enforcement officer Jon Neal inspect a disheveled room at the Alibaba Motel in Costa Mesa.

A Costa Mesa motel has been fined more than $3,000 for alleged problems found during a recent code enforcement inspection.

The Alibaba Motel, 2250 Newport Blvd., received 54 building code violations that include illegal remodeling, improper cleanup of construction materials and illegal storage of furniture, city Code Enforcement Officer Jon Neal said Tuesday. The property owner has 30 days to fix the problems.

The 42-room motel was inspected Oct. 1, during which 21 rooms were found to have malfunctioning smoke detectors, officials said. Also, an insect infestation was reported in one room.

As of Friday, the infestation and smoke detectors were fixed, Neal said.

Officials said the Alibaba inspection is part of an initiative to bring the city's motels — particularly those that generate the most police and fire service attention — up to code.

An August inspection at the Costa Mesa Motor Inn led to 490 alleged health and safety violations and more than $40,000 worth of fines. That number included $19,050 in direct fines.

The remainder — about $23,000 — amounted to fix-it tickets, the bulk of which against the 236-room Harbor Boulevard property have been voided. The motel still faces a $3,150 citation issued against 21 rooms not yet brought up to code.

Officials said 10 of the 12 most problematic motels have been inspected in the past year. Code enforcement is scheduled to inspect all 12 by the end of the year, and the intent is to do so annually.